What with this latest "Feature-Film-Adapted-from a Sitcom or a Cartoon Series from the Good Old Days of the Age of Baby-Boomers"(there outa be such an Oscar category!), UNDERDOG(2007) just having been released for general distribution/exhibition, we were curious about the old (1964)NBC Saturday Morning Kiddiefest.So, naturally we took a little peek and we found .......
The Boomers of varying age were among those viewing this UNDERDOG Show when it debuted back in A.D. 1964. I myself got out of high school that year (6 long years!!*), but had 3 younger siblings and a whole sh*t house full of younger cousins, so naturally this gave me a good excuse to watch, or at least 'observe'! After all, wouldn't want any young relatives corrupted by any inferior, low class, mind destroying trash with any low moral tone! Luckily, for me and them, it wasn't any of those things.
Much like many of the other Kiddie Crowd-Targeted Made for Television, limited action Animated Series, Underdog's producers went for the multi-leveled* story construction. Hence, we were witnessed to serialized stories which contained humor, incidents and even names of characters that would amuse the Parents and other Adults(like yours truly)who happened to be watching. The choice of theme/background/incidental music for the series was that of original score, consisting of rather non-complex melody.(Please bear with me here,as I have zero musical training, obviously!). Even the lyrics to the opening are short, clippy but mood setting, with an ominous, even spooky "ooh-ooh-ohh!" provided by a choral back ground group.
We had already witnessed the running of many of Pioneer Animator Paul Terry's TERRYTOONS' features by its new parent company, the CBS Television Network. By way of this method, we had all become familiar with MIGHTY MOUSE. Dating back to the early 1940's, Mighty Mouse was a long standing, and possibly first Paradoy of the whole Comic Book Super Hero in general and of Superman, in particular.
So, there was a precedent out there. That meant that somethings would have to be a little different, so as to avoid any obvious charges of "copy catism" by the kiddies.
Now, the Mighty Mouse animated shorts were not done up in prose, but rather sung as an Operetta. This was perhaps somewhat lost on the kids, but seems very amusing and even 'delightful' to all of us 'big kids'!So, what to do? What to do? Well then, the folks at Leonardo Television and Total TV Produvtions settled on the idea of going not for song, but rhyme, ala Will Shakespeare!** The idea was a good one, as it became one feature of the whole series to be its one true identifier, its electronic DNA, if you please. We would listen closely in order to get the lines and the words spoken by voice artists, led by Wally Cox.
As for the 'Female Lead', we see the Name of Norma MacMillan as Polly Purebred. We read that 'Polly' was patterned on Marilyn Monroe. But I must beg to disagree, respectfully of course. My contention is that Miss Polly Purebred is a vocal and visual caricature of the lovely,late Actress/Commedienne Mary Jane Croft.(just my opinion.)
That brings us to the cast of voice artists.Wally Cox as the Lead,with Norma MacMillain(Polly), Alan Swift(Simon Bar-Sinister***) and George S. Irving as the Golden Voiced Narrator.
* Just kidding! But I did have one trip to Summer School for Physics! St. Rita High School, Chicago, Summer(the whole, damn season!), A.D. 1963!
** I get all his books, soon as they come out.
*** Just for the Record, "Bar-Sinister" is a term used in Heraldry. When the bar-sinister appears on a Family Coat of Arms, it indicates Illegitimacy. Ergo, it would appear that "Simon Bar-Sinister" would translate, "Simon the Bastard!"
